California Essay, Research Paper

INTRODUCTION

California is located far west of the United States. It is widely know

for it?s natural beauty and its huge farms and factories. The state has an

area larger than Germany. Its many cities include Los Angeles, San

Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego to name a few. The state has

lured many immigrants since the 19th century for it?s gold and mining.

HISTORY

When the first Europeans arrived in the 16th century, the region of

California was all Native Americans. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a

Portuguese navigator exploring for Spain, was probably the first

European to see California. Sailing north from Mexico, he visited San

Diego Bay in September 1542. The next major voyage along the coast

was made by the English navigator Sir Frances Drake in 1579. No

European people made a home of California until Captain Gaspar de

Portal, the Spanish governor of Baja, California, led an expedition

north in 1769. During that journey, forts were established at Sand

Diego and Monterey. In 1822, California was became a province of the

new nation.

LAND AND RESOURCES

California is a state with very spectacular scenes and natural beauty. Its

highest point is Mount Whitney, which is 4,418m. Its lowest point is in

Death Valley. It is 86m below sea level. This is also the lowest point

in the whole Western Hemisphere.

TOPOGRAPHY

California has varied topography throughout the state. The main

features are the large Central Valley and the mountain ranges inside of

it. The Central Valley is about 805 km long and 80 km wide. It

includes two major drainage basins that both empty out into the Pacific

Ocean. The valley is bounded by the Klamath Mountains, which is a

very forested mountain range. The southern part of the Cascade Range

borders the Central Valley on the northeast. The highest peak of the

Cascade Range in California is Mt. Shasta, which is 4,317 m.

CLIMATE

California has a varied climate because of its topography. Most of the

state has only two seasons, which are the sunny season and the rainy

season. Precipitation is much higher in the north because it is closer to

the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures are kind of mild on the coast with

temperatures being 56 F in Los Angeles and 50 F in San Francisco at

average in January. In July the average temperatures are 72 F in Los

Angeles and 59 F in San Francisco.

ECONOMY

California has the richest economy of the United States. Today, service

industries account for 80% of California?s state product. In the 1990?s

the California economy had a big slump that came from downsized

defense and aerospace industries into computers software and

entertainment. Farming was also down because of a big drought that

was the worst in 400 years. California has very important minerals.

Among the most important are crude petroleum, natural gases, boron,

tungsten, sand, gravel, asbestos, copper, feldspar, gold, iron ore,

mercury, potash, soda ash, sulfur, and uranium.

ETHNIC GROUPS AND POPULATION

California is the nation?s most populous state. In the Census of 1990

the population of California was 29,760,021. California has had a high

rate of population growth ever since it became a state in 1850. The

rate slowed down by a lot in the 1980?s due to recession and out-

migration.

The majority of the population of California is white but there

are many more minority groups. The state?s Asian population is 10%

of California?s population. It is the fastest growing population in

California. Hispanic people are the second fastest growing ethnic

group in the state. The black population is 7.4% of the California

population. There are also 242,164 Native Americans which is about

1% of the population. The largest religious group is the Roman

Catholic Church which includes Protestant, Baptist, Episcopalians,

Methodist, and Presbyterians. There is also a big Jewish community.

SPORTS

California has 19 big league baseball, hockey, basketball, football and

soccer teams. The San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Los

Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, and San Diego Padres are the

state?s major league baseball teams. The San Francisco 49ers, Oakland

Raiders, and San Diego Chargers are California?s National Football

League teams. The Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los

Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers are members of the NBA.

The San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and the Anaheim Mighty

Ducks are the NHL teams of California. They have soccer teams too

but who likes soccer??

MANUFACTURING

California ranks number one in manufacturing. The leading categories

of fabricated goods in the state are transportation equipment, processed

food, and electronic stuff. The state?s food products include canned

and frozen fruits and vegetables, processed meat, canned fish, and

beverages. The Santa Clare Valley, Sacramento, and Los Angeles area

have many firms that produce and develop electronic equipment.

TOURISM

California each year draws many tourists each year mainly because of

there beautiful weather and endless things to do. Popular sites of

California are the television studios of Los Angeles, Disneyland, San

Diego Zoo, Sea World, Fisherman?s Wharf, Chinatown, and other

parts of San Francisco. The state has eight national parks with

beautiful scenic views.